The draft law, which aims to ban the purchase of real estate in Estonia by those citizens of Russia and Belarus who do not have a long-term residence permit and by companies dependent on them, was described by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Tallinn as “urgent”.
According to the head of the Estonian Ministry of Interior, the purchase of real estate by citizens of Russia and Belarus who have temporarily or recently arrived in Estonia constitutes a threat to the country's security. According to the authorities in Tallinn, they can be used for intelligence and sabotage operations and, in crisis situations, be used against the Estonians.
What are the reasons for the ban on purchasing real estate by Russians and Belarusians in Estonia?
How many citizens of Russia and Belarus are in Estonia?
When is the relevant law planned to be adopted in Estonia?
Which other countries are concerned about real estate purchases by Russians and Belarusians?
Frequent cases of purchase of real estate by Russians and Belarusians – the minister explained – also “concerned” other neighboring countries, including Finland, Sweden, Norway, Latvia and Lithuania. In Finland, the parliament passed the relevant law in the spring of 2025, and real estate transactions involving non-EU entities require special authorization and are controlled by the Ministry of Defense.
The Estonian Ministry of Interior assumes that the appropriate law will be adopted in the first half of 2026. Taro reminded that Estonia has, in principle, stopped issuing visas to Russians and Belarusians, but other EU countries still grant them visas allowing them to move within the Schengen area.
Russians and Belarusians in Estonia
According to data from the Estonian Ministry of Interior, there were nearly 8,000 people in Estonia at the beginning of January. Russian citizens and 1.5 thousand citizens of Belarus with a temporary residence permit. Over 70,000 people have long-term residence permits. Russians and nearly 1.2 thousand Belarusians.
At the same time, since Russia began its attack on Ukraine, i.e. on February 24, 2022, approximately 1,000 people have purchased real estate in Estonia. Russian citizens whose links with Estonia – as emphasized – remain unknown because they do not have an Estonian identification number.
In Estonia, which has a population of 1.3 million, the Russian minority, including people of Russian origin and for whom Russian is their first language, constitutes approximately 25 percent. society.
